Moonlight
by arcadiaannex
Summary: The light in Annabeth's eyes made it look like the three of them were dancing in the moonlight / inspired by Moonlight by Grace VanderWaal


**_She always has a smile_**

 ** _From morning to the night_**

Sometimes, Thalia liked to pretend she was happy when she wasn't. All of the Hunters understood that people just got sad sometimes, but after growing up in a house where sadness was a sin, Thalia preferred to pretend. On rare occasions, she would actually reveal how she was feeling, but if she forced a smile on her face long enough, she could trick herself into being happy again.

Not that Thalia was a generally sad person. She loved life with the Hunters. But sometimes at night, when she thought of Luke and Annabeth, or of Jason, she couldn't stop the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes. She could always pull up the blankets and shut her eyes until she fell asleep, but she ended up full of sorrow when she woke up.

 ** _The perfect poster child_**

 ** _That was once in my life_**

It was sometime after the Giant War when the Hunters ended up at Camp Half-Blood for a little while. Thalia knew she was probably supposed to follow some old customs as leader of the Hunters, but quite frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted to catch up with Annabeth.

The two talked and talked and talked. They nearly missed the Hunters vs. Campers Capture the Flag tournament because they were still talking about all that had happened since they had last been able to really _talk_ to each other. Thalia told about her adventures with the Hunters and Annabeth told about her journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Annabeth cried into Thalia when she reached the part about Tartarus and Thalia realized that Annabeth was faking happiness far more than Thalia ever could.

 ** _A doll made out of glass_**

 ** _All her friends think that she's great_**

Annabeth watched as Thalia walked towards Artemis' cabin and she wasn't sure if she should smile or feel sad. Annabeth knew that Thalia was carrying the weight of memories and eventually, all that weight would end up weighing her down. Annabeth didn't know the backstories of the other Hunters, but she knew Thalia and she hoped to the gods Thalia could talk to them about her problems and they would listen.

 ** _But I can see through it all_**

 ** _And she's about to break_**

Thalia liked to pretend everything was okay. She had been pretending everything was okay since Annabeth first met her. If Thalia had been any worse at pretending, both she and Luke would have know about Jason years before they were 'supposed' to. Though Thalia knew her brother was alive and well now, she still had the memories of all those years she thought he was dead piled up on top of the memories of other friends who _had_ died. Thalia wasn't glass, but everyone breaks eventually.

 ** _Remember last year when you told me_**

 ** _To always stay here, never leave me?_**

 ** _The light from your eyes made it feel like_**

 ** _We were dancing in the moonlight_**

Thalia remembered when she and Luke met Annabeth. Annabeth was only seven, and she still looked innocent despite what she had been through. That first night, they were sitting around a campfire for warmth and Luke jokingly asked if he could call Annabeth Annie. Annabeth had responded with a defiant " _No!"_ to which Thalia had said, " _I think Annabeth is a better name than Annie anyways."_

Annabeth had smiled at Thalia then, and the fire reflected in Annabeth's eyes to make it look like the moon was shining in them. Her irises were swirling shades of grey to begin with, and with the light, Thalia could have sworn Annabeth's eyes actually held the moon inside them. It was in that moment that Thalia knew Annabeth was going to grow up and do great things.

The young girl then opened her mouth and asked, "Are we gonna be a family that stays together?"

Luke nodded, "I told you, Annabeth. Family. Forever. We'll never leave you."

"That sounds nice," Annabeth said wistfully.

 ** _Remember last year when you told me_**

 ** _These'll be life long stories?_**

 ** _The light from your eyes made it feel like_**

 ** _We were dancing in the moonlight_**

Annabeth remembered being scared almost constantly when she was with Thalia and Luke. She remembered the older two tried to calm her fears with stories and whatever else popped into their minds. At one point, after a particularly close call where Luke had nearly been killed, Thalia had looked Annabeth in the eye and said, "Just remember, when we get through all of this, you'll have plenty of stories to tell. These stories will last you a lifetime."

That had made Annabeth smile. Thalia made a good point, and though at one point, Annabeth was sure she would never be able to recount those days without trembling or stuttering or crying, or a mix of the three, it was a nice thought. It was what wrapped around Annabeth like a blanket that night to help her fall asleep.

 ** _You were dancing in the moonlight_**

Thalia had joined the Hunters partially out of spite. She wasn't going to be the Prophecy Child when she'd been a pine tree not even six months earlier. But she'd realized that the reason she didn't like the Hunters was because she was so similar to them. She would fit in perfectly, but at the time, she didn't want to. Now, she was thankful for that. Because she could be one day younger than sixteen until she died, meaning the prophecy wasn't about her, and she had people who could understand her. Who had suffered loss just as she had. She didn't feel alone anymore.

 ** _And I was dancing in the moonlight_**

It was hard for Annabeth every time the Hunters left Camp Half-Blood. It was worst the first time Thalia had left with them because Annabeth felt like she would be alone. But early in the morning, when the moon was still in the sky, Thalia assured Annabeth she was far from alone. And Thalia would never forget about Annabeth, she promised.

Thalia's last words to Annabeth were, "Your eyes still look like they hold the moon. So if you have the moon inside you and I have the goddess of the moon with me, that means we'll always be connected."

Annabeth had hugged Thalia then, mostly so Thalia couldn't see Annabeth's tears. "I'm going to miss you," Annabeth muttered.

"I'll miss you too." Thalia hugged Annabeth a bit tighter. The hardest part of this was saying goodbye to a close friend.

 ** _Now she's lost her way_**

 ** _And she forgets to smile_**

Annabeth lived a good life, as Thalia knew she would. She married Percy and they had three kids, who all grew up to have kids of their own. Thalia visited as often as she could, especially in the later years. She wasn't ready to let Annabeth go, though she knew Annabeth's time was fast approaching. Demigods generally didn't live this long.

Thalia wore black for three months straight after Annabeth died. No one tried to force her into the silver outfit that the Hunters were supposed to wear, not even Artemis. Thalia didn't bother faking a smile for those three months because she knew it was pointless. No amount of pretending to be happy would trick her mind into being happy again. She knew this time would come eventually, she just pretended it wouldn't for far too long.

 ** _Never gets a break_**

 ** _From this life in denial_**

Percy died a week after Annabeth, and it wasn't really a surprise to anyone. Everyone knew when those two went, it was going to be together. Artemis assured Thalia that both Percy and Annabeth had ended up in Elysium, which didn't surprise Thalia in the slightest. If they hadn't, Thalia would have personally gone to the Underworld and fought Hades until he allowed them into Elysium.

It was about a month after Percy died when Thalia and the Hunters found themselves at Camp Jupiter. They were welcome to stay as long as they liked, the Praetors told Thalia, and Thalia thanked them before wandering off to New Rome. There was someone she needed to see before he, too, was taken from her.

 ** _A doll made out of glass_**

 ** _All her friends think that she's great_**

Reyna found Thalia before Thalia found who she was looking for. The two ended up in a cafe together, talking about life as two old friends would. Reyna was doing remarkably well considering her age, and Thalia was grateful for that. At least she still had Reyna.

"So how are you doing?" Reyna finally asked. Her expression made it clear she wouldn't accept an answer full of lies.

Thalia sighed. "It hurts a lot more than I thought it would. And it just doesn't stop. I thought it would be more like Luke, but it's so much worse than that. Even though Luke ended up turning back to our side in the end, he still betrayed us in the first place. But Annabeth has been my best friend since I was _twelve_. And it just made me remember that some day, sooner than I'd like, I'm going to lose you and Jason and Piper as well. I'm going to lose everyone I've ever loved some day and it's already started."

Reyna placed her hand on top of Thalia's so the Hunter looked her in the eyes, "Losing family is about the hardest thing you can go through, and it's understandable that you're hurting. I felt the same way with Hylla. Annabeth was like your sister But you still have the Hunters and you can make new friends though they will never replace Annabeth. You are far from alone, Thalia. And I bet Annabeth's eyes still look like they hold the moon even in Elysium, so the two of you will always be connected."

Thalia gave Reyna a confused look. How could she know about the words Thalia had told Annabeth all those years ago?

"Annabeth told me you might need to hear that if you ever came to me after she was gone," Reyna answered Thalia's silent question.

"Thank you," was all Thalia could manage, though she wanted to say so much more.

 ** _But I can see through it all_**

 ** _And she's about to break_**

While the Hunters stayed at Camp Jupiter for several days, Thalia spent most of her time with Jason and his family. The Hunters understood that Thalia knew she wouldn't have much time left and Jason was her brother. So they stayed at Camp Jupiter for a bit longer than they would have under normal circumstances.

When the Hunters finally left, Thalia hugged Jason a little tighter and a little longer for fear of the fact she may never see him again. It was possible the Seven would all go within a few months of each other.

 ** _Remember last year when you told me_**

 ** _To always stay here, never leave me?_**

 ** _The light from your eyes made it feel like_**

 ** _We were dancing in the moonlight_**

It was the moon that finally coaxed Thalia into wearing silver again. As long as the moon was in the sky, it was also still in Annabeth's eyes and that meant Thalia would not forget about Annabeth. But it was time to stop mourning her friend. Annabeth surely wouldn't want Thalia to spend the rest of her immortal life in mourning.

Thalia placed a single black rose at Annabeth's grave, to symbolize mourning. Thalia would only mourn while at her grave. The rest of the time, she would look back on the memories she made with joy. The quote " _Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened,"_ surfaced from somewhere in the back of Thalia's mind.

 ** _Remember last year when you told me_**

 ** _That these'll be life long stories?_**

 ** _The light from your eyes made it feel like_**

 ** _We were dancing in the moonlight_**

After she visited Annabeth's grave, Thalia gathered the courage to tell the Hunters the story of the girl with the moon in her eyes. She told of the first night after she met Annabeth, and how she knew Annabeth would grow up to be a hero. Most of the Hunters knew about Annabeth, but only a few _knew_ her, and none knew of the story Thalia told them. After all, Thalia was the only one still alive who had been there.

Thalia remembered what she had told Annabeth so long ago she couldn't bother to count the years. Those stories they made when they were young were as life long as Thalia had promised they would be. And finally, Thalia could tell most of them without breaking down.

 ** _You were dancing in the moonlight_**

"Did you have a crush on Annabeth?" one of the newer Hunters asked Thalia in private after the story has long since been told. Thalia has to think about her answer for a long time before she finally responds.

 ** _I was dancing in the moonlight_**

"No," Thalia finally answers. "I think I thought I did during those few months between being a pine tree and becoming a Hunter because I didn't know what a crush was. But as she grew older, I saw the way she and Percy looked at each other and I realized, I'd never felt _that_ way. She was the closest friend I've ever had and sometimes I miss her so much that my chest aches, and I loved her more than I've ever loved anyone, but not in a romantic way."

For the first time, Thalia really looked at the girl who asked her the question. She seemed to be about twelve, but was most certainly at least a couple years older than that. Her eyes are wide and innocent and curious and they are a very dark shade of grey.

"You look a bit like her," Thalia says absentmindedly. "Your eyes… They kinda look like they hold the moon too."

The girl grinned at that, like it was the biggest compliment she'd ever received. Maybe Annabeth was gone, but Reyna was most certainly right. Thalia could make new friends and take them under her wing just as she had done with Annabeth. Nobody could replace Annabeth, but Thalia had room in her heart to care for more people than just her old friends.

 ** _I miss those memories_**

Annabeth. Percy. Frank. Leo. Travis and Connor. Clarisse. Piper. Will. Hazel. Nico. When it was finally Jason's turn, Thalia thought she should be numb to loss, but she wasn't. Jason left as did all of the other friends Thalia had made, the number dwindling until Reyna was the only non-Hunter left.

 ** _We used to share_**

Reyna was only holding onto life for Thalia. She wanted to see her friend one last time before she left. Put one last smile on Thalia's face. She needed to know Thalia would be okay once Reyna was gone, and she wanted to promise to give a message to Jason or Annabeth or whoever once she made it to the Underworld (assuming Pluto allowed Reyna into Elysium).

 ** _Just you and me…_**

"Tell Annabeth her eyes still hold the moon and tell Jason his eyes still hold the sky," Thalia whispered as the tears leaked from her eyes. "Tell them I love them and miss them. Tell Annabeth the memories we made were life long stories for me too."

"I will," Reyna promised even though she couldn't promise she would even see Jason and Annabeth in the Underworld. Maybe Pluto or Hades would take the message to them. Or to Nico, at the very least. "Your eyes look like they hold the sky too," Reyna muttered. "Except they look so old. ...Will you be okay?"

Thalia nodded. "I know now that I can't mourn forever. And I'll see you all again eventually, won't I?" Thalia cracked a sad smile. "...I'm going to miss you, Reyna."

"I'll miss you too."

 ** _I remember last year when I told you_**

 ** _I would always stay here, never leave you_**

It took time for Thalia to heal after Reyna died, but not nearly as long as it took her to recover from the loss of Annabeth. Thalia's eyes held a sky from a hundred years ago now and her mind was full of memories of promises that couldn't be kept. A promise from Thalia to never leave Annabeth and a promise from Annabeth to never leave Thalia. A promise from Reyna to do deliver a message she may not be able to. A promise from Luke that they would always be family no matter what happened.

 ** _I told you the light in your eyes made it look like_**

 ** _We were dancing in the moonlight_**

New Hunters heard stories from the days of the Great Prophecies from a demigod who was actually there. Campers from both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter would gather around as Thalia recalled her adventures with Annabeth and Luke and her story of the Titan and Giant Wars. Something about the way she told the stories, how she put her emotions out for them to see, made the stories that much more interesting.

But the most captivating story of all was the story of the blonde seven-year-old who held the moon in her eyes. Thalia told the kids that the way the light shone in Annabeth's eyes made it look like they were dancing in the moonlight and like everything would be okay eventually.

 ** _Dancing in the moonlight…_**

And eventually, everything was.


End file.
